Gravity freight-carrier.



oNrrED STAT-Es 1JAu'i'ai'rr"V ortica WILLIAM E. COUH'INEY, OF Sl. PAUL-MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO MATHEWS GRAVITY CARRIER COMPANY, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION OE MINNESOTA.

GRAVITY FREIGHT-CARRIER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application mea sepeembhr 11,1907. serial No. 393,390.

To all whom it may"co'mem:`

B e it known that I, WILLIAM E. COURT- NEY, -a citizen of the United States, residing lat St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and gravity `freight carriers, and' particularly to the class of carriers known as gravity spirals, by means of which packages Yof freight, such as barrels, boxes, bales or bundles, may be transferredfrom aV higherto a lower level,

usually from an upper toa lower story of a building. Y

The object of the invention is to, provide means, in the carrier`itself,fby which the barrels or other packages may be guided and maintained in roper position `while passing Y suitablebe'aring 16 and provided at its lower downward on t e carrier.

The invention consists Y generally in a spiral carrier having two series of rolls, the rolls of one yseries bein arranged with their axes 4on lines radiatin rom the center ofthe spiral and the rolls o the other series being1v arranged withtheir axes at an angle to .suc radiating lines).

The invention consists `further in the constructions and combinations hereinafter described and particularly pointed opt in the claims'. 4 s In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification; Figure 1 is a lan view of a spiral fconveyer constructe 1n accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectionV of the same. Fi 3 is la, detail plan section on line fg-yogi ig. 2*, Fig. 4 is a detail section on line ca /.vof Fig. 3.

l Fig. 5 is a detailed view of a) modified con- -7, 7, and 9, 9.

vspiral while the rails 5 of the outer series 4are arranged with their axes at an angle to the axes of the rolls of the inner series (see Fig. 1).-,` ITheouter ends -of the outer rolls 5 are setlslightly ahead of gtheinner ends of said rolls softhat said rolls tend to move objects that are passing over them towards the vinner series of rolls'. By this means, centrifugal force, which tends to move the packages outward as they pass. down over the carrier,

articles are ke t in roperposition upon the rolls. Thero s of oth series project above the rails' (see Fig.V 4) so that the packages coming in contact with said rails.

shaft 10, secured in osition vin saidrails bv suitable nuts 1'1 an 12 and vrovided with "mounted by antiffriction bearings 14k.-

-Thefranle for the vcarrier 'may be con-` structed `in any suitable manner. I have here shown acentral upright 15 mounted in a end with a series of u wardly inclined radial brace bars 17` andat its top with a series of horizontal rails or supporting bars 20 have to collars 21 onthe central sup ort,1.5.\ z

These bars areseeure tothe iagonal bars 18. `The horizontalsu porting bars 2,0 mayalso be seuredltostiie outer ide rail 24 that is secure to the u I"right ars 19 andabove and inside of t e guide rail 24 I prefer to' rovide a guide rail 25- thatis vertically in line withthe outer an ers 26. ith this construction it will be seen that va very light but strong support vis provided braced in all directions and-being adapted. to bequickly and economically setup and put in osition for use. ith'this construction, barrels, boxes Ioli other packages-will. travel by gravity from the top to the bottom of said s iral at a pracis counteracted and the packages or other may be mounted in saidl rails inany suitable manner. I prefer to providea stationary bearing blocks 1 3, lupon whic itlie rolls are,

their outer ends secured to the verticalzs'up-f; porting 'bars 19and their inner endss'ecureil` Above the innertrack rails y prefer to pro-.l vide twol series'ofguide rails; 22, 22 .that arel secured vto inner upri ht supportingbars 23. l i

attheir lower lends to the dia onal bars 17 and at their` upper ends Patented March 31, 19,08.`

passing over thecarrier are v`prevented fron'1 The rolls downwardly `inclined radialbrace bars 118. l ,i To the ends of thesebrace ,bars` thevertical supporting bars .19 are secured and aseries of. y

`r upright bars 23. I also prefer. to rovide the roll-supporting rail 4. The guide rail 25 .is preferably supported' upon the `suitable for the carrier, 'said support being suitablyb.

tically uniformspeed and wi out their be- .l

.- thereover will have a' sul cient to give to the articles that come on to the outer rollers a slight inward movement.-

In Fig. 5 I have illustrated a modified cork struction -which consists in mounting the outer rolls so that the 'ournals of their outer ends will be above the level ofthe journals of their inner ends and the packages passing tendency to work toward the inner series of rollers, such movenient being counteracted in part'bycentrifugal force. If preferred, the inner ends of these outer series of rollers may be located slightly in the rear of their outer ends in addition to the difference in level of their ljournals.

I llave shown gravity carriers arrangedto deliver packages to the spirally arranged rollers and these -carriers may be located at the rep of the spiral or at any desired point below the top and at the bottom .of the spiral. I provide similar gravity carriers to receive the packages from the spirally arranged rollers and convey them to any desired point at a distance from the spiral.

l clai n1 as my invention:

1. A gravity freight carrier comprising spirally arranged rails, and a series of carrying rollers mounted in. said rails with their axes at an angle to lines radiating from the center of said spiral.'

2. A gravity freight-carrier comprising spirally arranged ralls, an inner series of carrying rollers mounted in said railsj with their axes arranged in lines radiating from the center of said spiral, and an outer-series of rollers mounted in said rails with their axes at an an le to lines radiatin from the center of sai spiral, substantia ly as described. f

`3. A gravity freight-carrier comprising, in

combination, spirally arranged rails, and

rollers mounted in said rails with the outer ends of the' rollers in advance of the inner ends, for the purpose set forth. Q Y

4. A gravity freight-carrier comprising, 1n combination, two sets of s irally arranged rails, and rollers supportedp in each set of rails, the outer ends of the outer setofrollers being in advance of the inner ends, for' the ends of said rollers, substantially as described.

6. A gravity. carrier comprising an inner fand an outer series of spirally arranged rollers, the inner ends of the outer series being in the rear slightly of the outer ends of said rollers whereby the packages moving thereover will Work toward the inner series of rollers.

7. A gravity carrier comprising an inner and an outerxseries of spiral y arran ed rollers, Land spiral rails wherein said ro 1ers are journaled, the rollers being arranged close together to form a continuous way the `outer series of rollers being arranged to direct the packages moving thereover toward the inner series of rollers and counteract the centrifugal force arising from thepassa 'e of the package down the spiral, substantiallr as described.

8. A gravity carrier` com rising an inner and an outer .series of ro ers s irally arranged, and vertical s iral rails w erein said rollers are journaledt e outerseries of rollers being arranged to direct packages moving thereover toward the inner series of rollers, gravity carriers arranged to. deliver ackages to said spirally arranged rollers an gravity carriers arranged to receive the packages from said spirallyarran ed rollers.

In witness whereof, have hereunto set my hand this 12th day of September 1907.

WILLIAM E. ooUR'rNEYQ Witnesses:

J. H. BALDWIN, J. B. BY'ING'roN. 

